Former Brampton mayor charged with dangerous driving after incident with picketer

Peter Robertson, former mayor of Brampton, has been charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle after an incident involving striking CUPE members last week.

Police would not confirm any details, except to say that a 23-year-old Brampton woman was struck and later released from hospital with minor injuries.

Robertson’s lawyer said he will be vigorously defending the allegations.

“They knew very well before anything transpired that it was Peter Robertson, the former mayor of Brampton that was in the car, and so as his counsel I’m quite bold to state that I think the whole thing was cocked up, trumped up, a set of circumstances entirely manufactured,” Joseph Irving said.

Employees of Ontario Works Human Services, Public Works and Transhelp have been on strike since May and June. So the parking lot at Peel Region headquarters was busier than usual on June 14, with CUPE Local 966 members picketing and delaying vehicles as part of their efforts.

Police said the incident happened at about 10 a.m. The local’s vice-president, Michel Revelin, was told the former mayor drove to a different exit to avoid waiting.

The woman who sustained injuries identified herself to the Star as Araya, a picketing summer student. She refused to give her last name, but said she was walking to her mom on the other side of Robertson’s car, when the vehicle hit her on the right side of her leg, and she ended up on the hood. She said when he braked, the car jerked and she fell off. She says her knee and back still hurt.

Robertson’s lawyer said his client had been “patiently waiting” for 27 minutes when the woman “sat on his car and then fell on the ground.”

Initially, police said there was no intent on either side, but charges were laid against Robertson on Monday. Irving said there is apparently a video, but when the full story comes out, “it will be seen by all that Peter did absolutely nothing.”

Because the incident occurred on private property, the Highway Traffic Act does not apply, and the only allowable charge was dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.

“It may seem extreme considering the injuries, but I’m not privy to the details of the investigation,” Const. Erin Cooper said.

Robertson, 73, led Brampton until he lost to current mayor Susan Fennell in 2000.

He was recently involved in promoting a proposed baseball and cricket facility that Brampton council rejected in early June because of the tight timeline involved for the Pan Am Games venue.